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Tselina-O (11F616)

The Tselina-O (11F616) was one component of two-satellite Tselina
ELINT satellite system. Tselina-O provided general ELINT surveillance to be examined in
detail by the larger Tselina-D satellites.

Development began during the 1960's, leading to a first launch in 1967. Earlier some
technologies should have been tested on two DS-K-40 satellites,
which both failed to orbit. TsNII-108 GKRE (Zaslavskiy) developed the payload while V M
Kovtunenko of Yuzhnoye/OKB-586 build the satellite. After the testing was complete in 1970
the Tselina-O complex was declared operational in 1971, while the whole system was
operational in 1976.

Possibly later launches in this list might have been improved Tselina-OK spacecraft,
but it is still unclear, if Tselina-OK was ever launched.

After the retirement of the Tselina-O component, Tselina-D took over the general ELINT
surveillance function in 1984.

Tselina-D and -O spacecraft were operated simultaneously to provide surveillance and
detailed observation and classification of radio emitters. Recorded data was stored on
board and dumped to groundstations in the USSR.